John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, to the House. I thank him for the comprehensive synopsis he has given of the EU Council meeting in Brussels. That meeting ranged over quite a number of subjects, and I agree with Senator Ormonde that it is important for the House to debate these matters in plenary session. There is a positive role for the Seanad in that respect; it is good that we review the Council on each occasion it takes place and perhaps even at times anticipate what will take place. I want to acknowledge, too, the occasions when the Minister of State attends meetings of the Joint Committee on European Affairs and gives us the benefit of his wisdom in advance of General Affairs and External Relations Council, GAERC, meetings. I also want to acknowledge the work of the Taoiseach as well as that of Deputy Dermot Ahern, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Cowen, the Minister for Finance, at the Council meeting. Of course the Austrian Presidency should be congratulated on the success of the event.

It is not much of a surprise that the bulk of the contribution refers to energy policy. This is a policy area that finds itself in an unusually high position on the political agenda at present. I noticed that Senator Quinn spent much of his time speaking about it. Before turning to energy, however, I intend to focus on the other main topics discussed at the March Council meeting — economic and social outcomes; energy; the EU constitution; and youth employment. I was interested to read of the Council's meeting with the President of the European Central Bank, the European Employers and Trade Union Confederations and the President of the EU Parliament. At a time when social partnership is being scrutinised again at national level in Ireland, it is notable that EU umbrella groups agree that a strong growth and jobs partnership is needed to deal with the many varied economic and social challenges that face the Union. I fear, however, that Mr. Trichet's singling out of Ireland and Denmark, as two countries delivering very similar economic and social success stories, might overshadow his other point that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to Europe's economic challenges.

His view that different economic and social models can achieve similar success is crucial. The partnership approach has served this country well, as we all know. Much of the basis of this success has been partnership's ability to adapt flexibly to changing conditions. However, in the same way a one-size-fits-all approach is inappropriate for a group of states facing varying challenges, the same partnership approach that served Ireland well in the past might not be the most appropriate model now for other countries. If it were, it would not need to be renegotiated here. We must not pursue social partnership at any cost. For example, the notion of core work, as currently defined, and outsourcing — about which Senator Brian Hayes spoke — could indicate that what went before might not be the right approach in certain sectors now.

Moving to the issue that dominated the Council proceedings, namely, energy policy, it is no surprise that the challenges identified are those addressed in my party's recent policy discussion document. Agreement may exist on the issues of security of supply, ensuring the continuing competitiveness of Europe's economies and promoting environmental sustainability. However, the question is how best to proceed and that is far from being settled. On a general level I welcome the Council's acceptance that the energy issue is of central importance to Ireland and the future success of our economy. Ireland should participate fully in this debate at EU level, and our contribution on the way forward should reflect not just any national Green Paper, but as much innovative thinking and ideas as emerge.

Deputy Fiona O'Malley's discussion paper, published last month, deals with the energy issues discussed in terms of an action plan at EU Council level. The Progressive Democrats propose a seven point action plan designed to develop Ireland's renewable energy supplies; protect the environment — thus fulfilling our obligations under the Kyoto Agreement; and secure our fuel supplies and minimise the overall cost of energy to the economy, thus maintaining Ireland's competitiveness. The plan requires that we promote the development of renewable energy for power generation; the use of renewable energy for space and water heating; the production and utilisation of biofuels for transport; energy conservation; fossil fuel exploration, production and supply security; the creation of new market structures and improved regulation; and research and development into energy technologies of particular importance to Ireland.

I urge everyone to read the paper Deputy Fiona O'Malley has produced and engage in this discussion process. Energy policy tops the international agenda for reasons pertinent to all of us. The analogy has been used that Ireland is the last stop on a very long oil pipeline and that our dependency on imported sources cannot continue as it is. That has been underlined in much of the discussion today. I was in Norway last week and it was quite notable that in a country that has its own supply of oil, serious consideration is being given to how it is to move forward in the knowledge that production has peaked. They are looking to the future, already, in a country that has been in a position to export oil.

On nuclear power generation, I am satisfied that the Council's conclusions make it clear that work on energy at EU level will not affect our national policy to reject this solution in this country. I am encouraged by what the Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, had to say about Ireland's position on this matter. Notwithstanding the advice of Forfás yesterday, the Progressive Democrats do not believe that nuclear generation is the correct option for Ireland, and that is the Government's position as well. I am less satisfied with the linking of EU energy policy recognition that decisions on sources of energy remain firmly with the member states and on the required standards for the operation of nuclear plants and the disposal of nuclear waste material. Those two aspects appear to be somewhat in conflict. Some policy decisions should and will remain at national level. However, where the implications of those policies can seriously affect the well-being of another country, exceptions must be made. We have had some concrete examples of that in the recent past, regarding Russia and its neighbours. Sellafield generates waste and radioactive discharges into the Irish Sea. The proposed sale of the British Nuclear Fuels Group, including Sellafield, does not change the fact that the UK Government is both responsible and accountable for the safe operation of that facility. Neither the proposed privatisation nor a new EU energy plan should alter this fact.

The problematic areas in all of the discussions at the Council focused on the constitution, enlargement and the Lisbon Agenda. I was interested in the Council's view that since the French and Dutch referendums on the European constitution, there has been a particular focus on showing citizens that Europe works on their behalf. We have mentioned the work of the National Forum on Europe under the chairmanship of Senator Maurice Hayes, and that is very valuable. However, we are going to have to be even more proactive. This is essential as regards important issues such as the roaming charges. In other words if citizens can appreciate that the Union is putting money in their pockets rather than taking it out, a different attitude towards Europe will rapidly emerge, and it will also bring the EU much closer to them than anything we might do by way of political campaigning or explanation. Deputy Roche, when he was Minister of State with responsibility for European matters, did a good deal of work in this respect in terms of trying to bring citizens closer to Europe and vice versa. I do not want to denigrate that work. It is important, and I know that the Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, is an advocate of it as well. However, there is more to it than that, in terms of trying to convince a sceptical electorate of the need for a constitution and for Europe to go forward as it must.

In addition to the relaunching of the Lisbon Agenda, and a renewed emphasis on jobs and growth, I wonder what specific moves are under way in Ireland to demonstrate that EU action is indeed rooted in the national, civil and social partnership process. The Lisbon Agenda has been characterised by a great deal of talk both here and at European level. I am not aware of any tangible outcomes to which one can point at this stage to confirm that it has been a success and that the Lisbon Agenda is working.

Finally, I want to talk about the Council's discussion of youth unemployment. All will, of course, welcome the Council's agreement to work to meet new targets on reducing early school leaving, efforts to ensure that unemployed young people are brought back into the labour force as quickly as possible, and the agreement that by 2010 every unemployed young person should be offered a job within no more than four rather than six months.

The issue of youth employment brings me back to my first point, that the one-size-fits-all solution does not apply in the context of the Union's social and economic challenges. The House will be aware that in France there have been huge demonstrations — some violent — against a new labour law for the under-26s which will make it easier for businesses to hire and fire young people. The legislation was introduced to get more people in France into work in the face of high unemployment rates and a stagnant labour market. I read an article in the International Herald Tribune last week about a French entrepreneur who had located in Ireland because of the ease of establishing a company where there was far less restrictive regulation and red tape than elsewhere. We talked about the three-day rule which is good to hear about. He is very pleased he came to Ireland, as a result of which people in his home country have lost out in terms of jobs and we have gained.

The low tax and pro-enterprise model espoused by my party and the Government has helped see employment rise from 1.1 million in 1991 to over 1.9 million in 2005. It is predicted that 2 million people will be employed here by the end of this year. While France faces the challenge of addressing why more than 20% of its 18 to 25 year olds are unemployed, we in Ireland are currently creating more jobs than we can fill. We must ensure that our policy process allows us to stay competitive and foster innovation. As Ireland's economy becomes increasingly knowledge-driven, we must be open to new ideas, new people and new agreements.

I conclude by congratulating all involved in the March European Council. Citizens in member states need these meetings to exemplify how Europe is working for them. While the Council does seem focused on the issues that are of real concern to people, I would encourage it to work even harder to ensure that all the institutions and facets of the Union that interface with the public are similarly focused.